This Chain Home Low Radar Station is situated within the boundary of the lighthouse buildings. The transmitter(Tx) and receiver (Rx) blocks along with the engine room and tower bases are extant. One of the early types of Chain Home Low radar station, begun as separate transmitting and receiver aerials which […]
Home Front
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N of the A970 public road by Goat Camp site, N side of airfield.
Once again developers threaten our history, this time it’s a lowly collection of huts that used to be a Prisoner of War camp at Hatfield Heath. A planning application, which is due to be heard on the 6th of June, has been submitted which would see this historic site demolished to […]
Recent Vegetation clearance has revealed more of the AT Cubes at the Low Gates level crossing in Northallerton. [mappress mapid=”1″]
A secret Telephone Exchange and ARP / firewatchers post. What appears to be a Firewatchers / passive defence command bunker. This lookout post goes down 3 floors underground .Inside are, I think, 6 rooms, the remains of the bottom half of a periscope , light up table and swivel chair, […]
Some aerial footage of Bawdsey Battery over the last couple of years. Recently, Matt Porter has started documenting the pillboxes that are being ravaged by the sea at East Lane (Bawdsey). EMERGENCY COAST ARTILLERY BATTERY: S0006224 PILLBOX (TYPE FW3/22 AA): S0008124 PILLBOX (TYPE FW3/22): S0006072 Bawdsey Battery Observation Post S00060223 […]
Located on the airfield at Aston Down. Pentagonal pillbox with attached LAA position and also circular brick position. Thanks to Robin Birch for sending the photo’s.
Sockets for Anti Tank Vertical Rails.
Visible as slight depressions / darker patches in the road surface these are vertical rail sockets for a double roadblock located at the junction of The Wynding and front street at the south end of Bamburgh.
This observation building served as the main control centre for the Lyness Naval Base Air Raid Precaution System. There appears to be the remains of a periscope cupola above the (much enlarged) doorway to the front of the building.
The distinctive feature of the Anti-Motorboat Boom is the BAULK: As shown in the sketch the standard baulk is a heavy iron-strapped wood and metal tank fitted with eye bolts and links for connecting the boom jack-stays, two pairs on top and one pair across the center line of the bottom. […]
Located Between St Margarets Hope and Quindry on the road to Hoxa at Ronaldsvoe. The Chimneys are for camouflage only.
An interesting Type 22 with overhanging roof and entrance hatch in that roof. Located in a Private Garden next to Orkney College.
CHL72A Crustan.
In the angle of the junction of Holm Branch road and New Scapa road, Kirkwall.
Norcon pillbox, with flat roof with hatch. Small circular Norcon type concrete pillbox built into the remains of a broch.
A type 22 pillbox of unusual construction. Built by the Royal Marines whilst they were guarding Hatston airfield, the pillbox has been constructed using bags of cement, immersed in water and allowed to dry in that form. Exterior views taken September 2007 – Interior views taken September 2018.
Constructed of Red Brick with concrete lintels and a flat concrete roof. The rear wall is formed by the metal wall of the hangar. Photo’s taken by Caroline Skinner in December 2009. This pillbox is currently under threat of demolition after the hangar was demolished. See here for more information http://www.nottinghampost.com/news/local-news/unique-military-installation-nottinghamshire-airfield-595589 and […]
2 x 6″ breech loaders Mk7 on CP2 mountings. There was also a 4.7″ gun on a temporary mount next to the battery. Much of this battery has been destroyed by quarrying.
2 6″ BL Mk7 on CP2 mountings. This battery was built in 1938 and was still in M.O.D. ownership until the late 1990s. It has been preserved and tours are available. See http://www.nessbattery.co.uk/ for more details.
2 x 12pdr Quick Fire in WWII and 2 x 4″ QF in WWI
Sadly, this unique Torpedo Attack Trainer, is rapidly being destroyed by Orkney’s harsh weather. Nearly all of the roof is now missing and the remains of the trainer “sphere” are almost gone. These pictures are from 2007. Research has identified this building as a Submarine Cyclorama Torpedo Attack Teacher. Abbreviated […]
See WW2 Airfield Battle Headquarters (battlehq.info) for more information about Airfield Battle HQs
Some Anderson shelters on Hoy, the first of which appears to be in situ. This has now been removed (2025)
The Italian Chapel stands as a poignant reminder of the troubled times Orkney went through during WWII. It is a remarkable survival and was saved because the bulldozer driver thought it too good to destroy.
Sadly this much loved building has been demolished despite a campaign to save it.
COAST ARTILLERY BATTERY: S0015230 (Extant) Twin 6pdr QF gun emplacement. A cable railway was laid to facilitate supply of the battery along with a jetty at the camp adjacent to the battery. Fragments of rail remain in-situ and some winding gear too. Some trucks are dumped on the shore below […]
2 x 12pdr QF guns emplaced here.
1 x Twin 6pdr QF gun house and associated buildings. Currently used as a paintball venue hence some of the additions visible in the pictures. Thanks to Orkan Adventures for giving us permission to wander round.
2 x 12pdr QF in gunhouses with different architecture.
Videos from June 2025 Air Raid Shelter at Stanger Head. Port War Signal Station 2020
2 x 4.7″ QF Mk4 on Mk3 mountings to start with and 2 6″ BL Mk7 on P8 mountings later. The degree markings on the gun mounts do not appear to correspond with a compass in any way, the 0 on the ring in the fourth picture is pointing SSE. […]
1 x Twin 6pdr Q.F.
1 x Twin 6pdr QF gun house survives along with the engine room and 1 of the 3 searchlight houses. Links Battery Director Tower (blown up by the army in the 1960s) from the golf course, photo of a video. Thanks to Wendy Barker of Orkney Escapes for permission to […]
2 x 12pdr QF one in concrete gun house the other in an open emplacement with a peat blast wall to allow all round traverse.
2 x 6″ breech loaders Mk7 on CP2 mountings. Much of this battery is built on top of the WWI 6″ QF battery. Pictures below from 2002 Pictures from 2015 showing “collapse” of the 2 6″ gun houses.
2 x 12 pdr QF and associated buildings.
Much of this WWII battery is built on top of the WWI 3 x 4″ QF battery. some of the emplacements can be seen between the WWII ones.
1 x Twin 6pdr with no overhead cover. Unigue double split beam searchlight houses.
1 x Twin 6 pdr QF emplaced here. Search light houses are facing collapse from erosion.
1 x 12pdr QF installed in a temporary emplacement allowing all round traverse.
2 4.7″ QF Mk4 on Mk3 mountings were emplaced here. The battery was never really finished – there being no overhead cover for the guns and the BOP was a Jane Hut.
Coast artillery Battery housing 2 x 12pdr QF guns. Remains of paintings in each gun house. Pictures are from 2003. Pictures from 2020
1 x Twin 6pdr QF gun house and associated buildings.
2 x Twin 6pdr QF guns for defence of Hoxa Sound against AMTBs and covering the Boom defence. Apparently this type of gun produced a lot of smoke – hence the need for the separate director towers.
Drone Hill lies 2½ miles (4 km) east northeast of Grantshouse and 4 miles (6 km) west of Coldingham. This is now the site of Highview Caravan Park, formerly Drone Hill Caravan Park, located amongst the remains of an historic military installation. Drone Hill was one of the earliest chain-home […]
Round Pillbox, Harlow Hill. RAF Ouston Thick Fronted Round Pillbox. S0007987
This pillbox closely resembles the standard “Northumberland D Type” but has a shorter side wall. It is completely sealed so no interior shots. The entrance is now at the top of a 30ft drop. It appears that it may have been built on top of a lime kiln which has […]
This pillbox is listed as a Type 24 but when measured it appears not to be it is a very strange shape. The last two pictures show the fancy grilles over a ventilation system. It still has it’s wooden shuttering in place inside the pillbox.
This Type 22 is slightly taller than usual and has a raised floor. There are holes either side of the, blocked up, doorway that indicate there may have been steps with railings fitted originally.
This variant pillbox is circular and brick shuttered, it has two large MG loopholes and a smaller rifle or pistol loop. The entrance is semi sunken and a hawthorn tree makes access very difficult.
